"Arise and breathe! The tendrils of smoke cast by the pall of death are upon us. Shed the black veil of existence, the throat of man's ego is slit and the universal sigh escapes through the gash. Let it be blood that spills! This is the blood of sacrifice! This blood is the continuity of the universe, the nectar of the life force, this is our offering. O' man let you long for death, in this hour let all be given unto splendour! The speldour of this release is the return to the black sea. The...

"These jazzmen, many of them now world-famous, lived for and with music intensely. Their driving motivation was neither money nor fame, but the will to achieve the most eloquent expression of idea-emotions through the technical mastery of their instruments (which, incidentally, some of them wore as a priest wears the cross) and the give and take, the subtle rhythmical shaping and blending of idea, tone, and imagination demanded of group improvisation. The delicate balance struck between strong...